Top 30 Craziest Fast Food Menu Items of the Century (So Far)

Top-30-Craziest-Fast-Food-Menu-Items-of-the-Century-So-Far

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 30 Craziest, most decadent, and outlandish Fast Food Menu Items of the Century so Far.


#30: Peanut Butter & Bacon Shake
Sonic
The drive-in restaurant is known for offering a wide variety of milkshake flavors, with new ones added to the menu regularly. In 2013, they introduced a wild flavor combination: Peanut Butter and Bacon. Although we would have never thought of this pairing by ourselves, we can see why it works. Peanuts are often used in sweet and savory dishes. Elvis Presley famously combined peanut butter with bacon on his fried banana sandwich. That being said, we’re still unsure about the choice to blend bacon and peanut butter together with ice cream. Maybe it's an acquired taste…

#29: The Breakfast Burger
Carl’s Jr.
Many quick serve restaurants have breakfast items that cater to morning crowds. However, Carl’s Jr. idea to top a burger with an egg was pretty novel back in 2004. The chain, known for its burgers, decided to make one that incorporates more traditional breakfast flavors. The sandwich was a hit, and has since become a staple of their lineup. The charbroiled beef patty comes with usual toppings like cheese and ketchup, as well as bacon, hash browns and, of course, an egg. Add in the sesame bun, and you get a pretty massive sandwich that tastes like breakfast and lunch.

#28: Black Jack Taco
Taco Bell
This menu item was released just in time – and for a limited time – for Halloween in 2009. With beef, lettuce, a three cheese blend, and Baja sauce, the ingredients for the taco seemed relatively normal. That is, until you considered the black hard corn shell. The dark and edible outer vessel gave a whole new look to the familiar dish. The craziest part about it, however, was what happened after you ate it. Certain customers reportedly discovered that something in the taco, presumably the shell’s dye, turned their bowel movements green. Now that’s what we call spooky.

#27: Popcorn Chicken Nacho Box
KFC
We never would have considered putting popcorn chicken on top of nachos. The menu item, released in Australia, was also served with traditional fixings like shredded cheese and salsa. In case the wacky combination of breaded chicken and nachos wasn’t enough for you, the fast food joint also introduced a nacho burger to the menu. Why pick between different types of cuisine when you can have it all at once?

#26: Cheesy Macaroni Bites
Jack in the Box
Mac and cheese isn’t a dish we typically think of as portable. That changed when Jack in the Box made it into a finger food with this now discontinued menu item. The triangle shaped, deep fried pockets were easily hand held, perfect for eating as you’re out and about. You may remember the ad they released, which highlighted the item’s portability by suggesting that it was much safer to eat while driving than say, burgers or hot dogs. After being removed from the menu for a brief time, the dish returned in 2021 with a slightly different name and look. This cylindrical variation was dubbed the Mac and Cheese Bite.

#25: Oreo Dessert Pizza
Domino's
Here is the proof that two delicious foods don’t always combine well. While the idea of an Oreo-inspired pizza is one that had us salivating at first, this dish lacked in execution what it had in concept. The hot dish consisted of a bland wafer crust, cloyingly sweet vanilla icing, and Oreo cookie crumbles. Without a good balance of flavor and texture, the end result felt more sad than anything else. The disappointed response from customers to Domino’s attempt at a dessert pizza was pretty unanimous. We were hoping this one would be crazy good. Unfortunately, it was crazy bad.

#24: McSalad Shakers
McDonald's
Salads aren’t the first thing we think of when we think of fast food. That being said, most chain establishments include some sort of leafy green dish on their menu. Starting in 2000, McDonald's tried to make salads exciting with their McSalad Shakers. They served the meal in a tall, cup-like container with the dressing on the side. It was up to customers to add the dressing and distribute it by shaking the container, like the name suggests. The meal came in three different versions: Chef, Chicken Caesar, and Garden. Unfortunately, the inventive approach to salad has since been discontinued.

#23: Foie Gras Rossini Burger
Wendy’s
Here’s something for the high-end foodies. The French cuisine-inspired burger debuted in Japan in 2011, when Wendy’s was making a push to open more locations in the country. It consisted of a square shaped patty, capped with a heaping slab of foie gras and flavored with truffle. Talk about a fancy offering. We’ve never seen a dish like this sold at a quick service joint. When it was first released, the sandwich put customers back $16 dollars per burger. While that number seems steep for a fast food item, it’s a steal compared to the price of a comparable dish served at a New York bistro.

#22: Cap'n Crunch Delights
Taco Bell
We thought this crazy menu item could only exist in our dreams. While some call it a breakfast dish, it’s honestly more like a dessert. The deep fried balls consist of a bright pink pastry with a “sweet cereal milk icing” center and an outer coating of cereal bits. Not only are they achingly sweet, they’re also full of nostalgia. It’s always fun when food comes in a ball form.


#21: Nightmare King
Burger King
In terms of the ingredient list, this Frankenburger is a little excessive, sure, but it’s not nearly as obnoxious as some of the entries we’ll be talking about later. It consists of a beef patty, a crispy chicken fillet, thick cut bacon and your usual toppings - all sandwiched between two dark green sesame seed buns. The real curveball? The fact that, according to Burger King, consuming it is clinically-proven to increase the likelihood of bad dreams.

#20: Spam & Oreo Burger
McDonald's
This exclusive, “members only” menu item caused a lot of confusion when it was released in China. Made with two slabs of Spam, oreo crumbles, and mayo on a sesame bun, it was a strange sandwich to say the least. And the concoction received mixed reactions from customers. Some accused the fast food joint of purposefully introducing a bizarre meal in order to grab attention. Others were simply displeased by the odd combination. Yet one loyal fan commented online saying they found the meal “delicious.” With all that said, we’re still not sure what to think of this dish.

#19: Crown Crust Pizza
Pizza Hut
The pizza game is a cutthroat business. In order to stand out from the crowd, you sometimes need to get a little weird. In 2012, however, Pizza Hut threw the definition of “pizza” right out the window. The Crown Crust Pizza, exclusively available in the Middle East, has a crust made of open faced mini cheeseburgers, while the pizza itself is garnished with typical burger toppings. They also made a chicken version, substituting cheeseburgers for chicken fingers!

#18: Bacon-Wrapped Deep-Dish Pizza
Little Caesars
Like we were saying… fast food pizza chains are always innovating! Back in 2016, Little Caesars decided to appeal to the nation’s obsession with bacon by taking oh-so-addictive meat and wrapping it around their deep dish pizza. And just in case that wasn’t enough bacon for their customers, the pizza was then garnished with crumbled bacon as well. It sounds hard to hold, but also like a surefire way to get people to eat the crust!


#17: Burger Dippers
Jack in the Box
No one ever asked Jack in the Box to reinvent the wheel, but they went ahead and did it anyways! They’re not the first restaurant to deep fry a burger, but they certainly set themselves apart with their approach: crispy fried cheeseburger sticks perfect for dunking! Sadly… those who like their burgers with lettuce and tomato are out of luck. Regardless, 2019 was the year that, for better or worse, Jack started thinking outside the box.

#16: Doritos Crunchy Crust Pizza
Pizza Hut
If you’re lactose intolerant, you might want to skip ahead past this extremely cheesy offering. Pizza Hut’s Doritos themed pizza featured a crust that was stuffed with mozzarella cheese and covered in pieces of the nacho cheese snack. And don’t worry, you were free to have whatever topping you wanted! But the freedom to adorn the pie with whatever you desired didn’t change the fact that the people were mixed about the doritos themselves. The fact that the chips were baked with the pie meant that customers could get a few burnt morsels on the crust. Additionally, the nacho taste didn’t always blend with the pie’s other cheeses. Overall, it seemed like customers preferred that the Doritos stay in a bag away from their pizza.

#15: Sweet & Crunchy Tenders
Popeyes
That doesn’t sound so weird. Wait... nevermind. Our brains auto-corrected to “sweet and sour.” And these aren’t just tenders in a sweetened batter - they’re literally cookie-crusted. If your chicken tenders are sweet and there’s no second flavor to balance that out, then we’re not sure what to do with that information. Bold move, Popeyes! According to Delish, kids loved them. Shocking! Oh, they also did cookie dough tenders.

#14: Stuffed Cheez-It Pizza
Pizza Hut
Guess who! Pizza Hut has apparently made it their mandate to establish themselves as the franchise most-committed to pushing the boundaries of good-taste. In 2019, they boldly went where no pizza chain had gone before by partnering up with Kellogg to make giant cheese stuffed Cheez-Its, which are served with marinara sauce for dipping. It sure is something and there’s no mistaking that distinct Cheez-It taste… but it ain’t pizza!

#13: The Double Down
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Since this controversial menu item was initially announced around April Fool's Day, people thought the sandwich was a joke. After all ,who would buy a sandwich where chicken served as buns to enclose bacon, sauces and cheese? But KFC shocked the World by going through with this product. Admittedly, the Double Down did have its fans and sold over 10 million sandwiches. However, those sales weren't enough to convince KFC to keep it as a permanent menu item. The sandwich would go on to inspire wilder variations such as a double dog sandwich that literally doubled down on the meat. Not to be outdone, the zany original has made several returns including a surprising comeback in March 2023.

#12: Bacon Sundae
Burger King
Sweet and savory (when properly introduced to one another) can make for a truly divine combination. Mishandle the marriage however, and the results can prove downright inedible. For example, the Bacon Shake from Jack in the Box garnered harsh reviews upon release in 2012. Burger King’s Bacon Sundae seemingly fared a bit better, winning itself some devoted followers, but they still were few and far between. The finished product (a sundae with a strip of bacon shoved into it and more crumbled on top) admittedly lacked finesse.


#11: Chizza
KFC
The Colonel tried to shake up yet another traditional food recipe by putting a new spin on pizza. Their revolutionary creation dared to put toppings you would traditionally find on a Hawaiian slice on top of a cut of chicken. For some consumers, the idea of basing this concept on one of the most controversial pizza orders was already too much. But even those who don’t mind Hawaiian pies had an issue with this. Not only did it fail to look as appetizing as the ads, but the sauce was reportedly too sweet and the ham topping didn’t make an impression. Despite all odds, this product got a second chance in 2023. But we doubt it’ll be replacing normal pizza orders anytime soon.

#10: Pumpkin Spice French Fries
McDonald's
Pumpkin Spice! Pumpkin Spice everywhere! The rule seems to be that if it can be eaten or drunk, it’s only a matter of time until someone comes up with a pumpkin spice version. We thought french fries were safe, but oh how wrong we were! The good folks at McDonald’s Japan decided to celebrate the Halloween season by offering dueling orange and black pumpkin spice sauces to go with fries. We’re not sure who asked for them, but there you have it!

#9: Cheetos Sandwich
KFC
Maybe KFC felt bad for leaving North America out of the chizza fun — in 2019, the fast food giant unveiled their next weird and wild fast food creation in Manhattan’s East Village. It consisted of a crispy chicken fillet loaded with cheetos-sauce AND a handful of cheetos. Of course, we need to mention that Taco Bell did it first with their Cheetos stuffed quesadilla a few years earlier. We… don’t know if that’s something to brag about, though.

#8: Pickle Juice Slush
Sonic
There’s nothing quite like a refreshing slushie on a hot day. But if you’re tired of traditional fruity flavors, get in a time machine, go back to either 2018 or 2022 and get a pickle slush. As the name suggests, this icy drink is infused with sweet and salty flavors. The result is a drink that has been reported as a bit sweet and every bit as tart as the average pickle. As strange as it sounds, the masses flocked to devour the slushy during its limited opening windows. The news of its popularity probably won’t sway those who aren’t big pickle fans. But those who dreamed of having this fruit in an icy form, this bright green drink should fulfill their needs.

#7: Fritos Chili Pizza
Papa John's
To recreate the feeling of having a heaping pile of chili in pizza form, this restaurant chain got beef, sauces, tomatoes and onions. And for some added razzle dazzle, Fritos were piled high on top after it was cooked. This bold combination attracted few fans and a lot of detractors who thought the sauce lacked kick. However, all would universally agree that the pizza had a major design flaw. If the Fritos that topped this pie didn’t get soggy on the way to a customer, they would definitely get gross overnight. This meant customers had no choice but to consume the whole thing in one sitting or remove the Fritos. The most surprising part of this chili pie is that its obvious flaw was overlooked.

#6: Buffalo Latte
Tim Hortons
While there are many kinds of lattes out in the world, a famous Canadian chain decided to break new ground with a revolutionary new idea. Tim Hortons took a standard blend of milk, mocha and espresso and decided to add some buffalo seasoning to the top. This drink was meant to be a homage to the New York town where the famous spicy sauce was created. But it seems like Tim Hortons would’ve been better off with a different tribute. For those who have tried it, the latte and Buffalo elements were apparently okay on their own but very lackluster together. It was probably for the best that this novelty tribute didn’t get further than Buffalo, New York.

#5: Chicken-Flavored Chocolate Truffles
KFC
You think KFC is pushing boundaries of fast food in America? You should see the sort of madness that they’re experimenting with in New Zealand! Chocolate truffles are a popular treat, and would make for a welcome addition to any dessert menu, but chicken flavored truffles are a serious curveball. Why KFC thought this was the perfect treat for Mother’s Day 2017, we’re not sure. As for the truffles, they were only distributed to a few dozen lucky customers via online lottery.

#4: Firecracker Burrito
Taco Bell
When this famous food chain wanted to spice up its ordinary burrito offerings, they decided to incorporate…pop rocks. Dubbed “cayenne popping crystals” by the food chain, these sweet and hot garnishes were meant to be poured onto a burrito. Consumers could simultaneously feel the novel crackle of cayenne in their mouth while consuming a familiar “Taco Bell” meal. If you could look past the bizarre setup to create this meal, there was still an issue. Apparently, adding too many cayenne popping crystals made the entire burrito taste too sweet to enjoy. But it seemed like customers didn’t want to add any in the end. The pop rocks have been kept away from their burritos in the years since the item was announced.

#3: T-Rex Burger
Wendy's
This hulking menu item might be more intimidating than the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. The T-Rex Burger consists of nine beef patties, nine slices of cheese and an utter disregard for your arteries. It was originally available at a single Wendy’s location in Canada. However, it was officially removed once corporate officials got wind of the sandwich. Maybe that’s because it had an astounding 3,000 calories. Or it could be because no human alive could bite into the entirety of the T-Rex burger’s massive size without unhinging their jaw. Fittingly, the only reason this exists is because of a fake joke advertisement printed in a magazine. We firmly believe that this sandwich should’ve remained as a work of fiction.


#2: Waffle Taco
Taco Bell
Claiming the silver medal for the craziest fast food menu item of the decade is Taco Bell, a company that’s no stranger to wacky limited time offerings. With this however… they really pushed the limits of good taste. For starters, this thing can hardly be called a taco! It’s a breakfast sausage patty covered in scrambled eggs and shredded cheese folded together in a waffle. We’re all for breakfast tacos, but this is madness. Sadly, all good things must come to an end: in 2015, it was replaced by a biscuit taco.

#1: Doughnut Sandwich
KFC
Decades after chicken and waffles became a popular menu item, KFC got sweet and savory with its own sandwich. Chefs took a piece of their classic chicken and stuck it between two full glazed donuts. This allowed customers to experience the savory entree with all the icing they’d expect from the sugary treats. If that wasn’t enough, another variation of this item was released in Australia and dubbed the “doughnut zinger burger”. This overindulgent sandwich feels like a cross section of the worst fast food impulses. It’s a combination of multiple junk foods, vigorously unhealthy and brings two different taste sensations together. Whether it’s consumed for breakfast, dinner or late at night, this doughnut sandwich will always be outrageous.

Which of these outrageous items do you stan? Let us know in the comments!